scholarly journals The death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) moves to a native tree in Victoria, British Columbia

Botany ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon M. Berch ◽  
Paul Kroeger ◽  
Terrie Finston
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Amanita Phalloides ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Mushroom Poisoning ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Native Tree

Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link, the death cap mushroom, is an invasive ectomycorrhizal fungus in North America that was inadvertently introduced from Europe. Death cap mushrooms are highly toxic and have caused three recorded poisonings in British Columbia (BC), including one recent death. In BC, these mushrooms fruit mostly in urban environments in the greater Vancouver and Victoria areas under planted exotic broadleaf trees. In California, A. phalloides was demonstrated to also form ectomycorrhizas with a native oak species. Here we report that A. phalloides forms ectomycorrhizas with Quercus garryana, which is BC’s only native species of oak, and can fruit in association with this tree host. If death cap mushrooms spread in Q. garryana habitat, the risk for serious mushroom poisoning will increase, and mushroom harvesters, the medical community, and park managers will need to be made aware of this increased risk.

Diversity of organisms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip James
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
The Common ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.

scholarly journals Insect Visitation to Wildflowers in the Endangered Garry Oak, Quercus garryana, Ecosystem of British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 245 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Parachnowitsch ◽  
E. Elle
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Insect Visitation ◽  
Introduced Honeybee ◽  
Pollinating Insects ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Oak Ecosystem ◽  
Plant Pollinator

The Garry Oak Ecosystem (GOE) is a fragmented and endangered ecosystem in Canada, and is currently the focus of conservation and restoration efforts in British Columbia. However, little is known about the basic biology of GOE forbs, or their relationships with pollinating insects. We monitored wildflowers and their insect visitors in 25 quadrats within a 25 × 25 metre plot, located in a fragment of the GOE near Duncan, British Columbia, for six weeks (the majority of the flowering period). Overall, 21 native and non-native forb species flowered in our quadrats during the survey, and we observed an additional six forb species flowering outside of our quadrats. Eight forbs were visited within quadrats by a total of 13 insect taxa, identified to morphospecies. Visits by eight additional morphospecies were observed outside of the quadrats. In general, visitation was low; however, most insect morphospecies were observed visiting more than one plant species, and most plant species were visited by more than one insect morphospecies, suggesting that pollination may be generalised in this community. A Chi-squared analysis indicated that insect visitation was not proportional to the relative abundance of forbs, with higher than expected visitation to Common camas (Camassia quamash), and no observed visits to 11 species, most with very small (putatively unattractive) flowers. The most frequent insect visitor was the introduced Honeybee, Apis mellifera, followed by native mason bees (Osmia spp.) and mining bees (Andrena spp.). Our observations provide baseline data for future, detailed studies that should investigate the importance of plant-pollinator mutualisms for sustainability of populations and communities in this rare ecosystem.

scholarly journals Acute Liver Failure Caused byAmanita phalloidesPoisoning

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Santi ◽  
Caterina Maggioli ◽  
Marianna Mastroroberto ◽  
Manuel Tufoni ◽  
Lucia Napoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Transplantation ◽  
Liver Failure ◽  
Acute Liver Failure ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Amanita Phalloides ◽  
Prognostic Indicators ◽  
Mushroom Poisoning ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Kidney Involvement

Mushroom poisoning is a relatively rare cause of acute liver failure (ALF). The present paper analyzes the pathogenesis, clinical features, prognostic indicators, and therapeutic strategies of ALF secondary to ingestion ofAmanita phalloides, which represents the most common and deadly cause of mushroom poisoning. Liver damage fromAmanita phalloidesis related to the amanitins, powerful toxins that inhibit RNA polymerase II resulting in a deficient protein synthesis and cell necrosis. After an asymptomatic lag phase, the clinical picture is characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, followed by the liver and kidney involvement. Amatoxin poisoning may progress into ALF and eventually death if liver transplantation is not performed. The mortality rate afterAmanita phalloidespoisoning ranges from 10 to 20%. The management of amatoxin poisoning consists of preliminary medical care, supportive measures, detoxification therapies, and orthotopic liver transplantation. The clinical efficacy of any modality of treatment is difficult to demonstrate since randomized, controlled clinical trials have not been reported. The use of extracorporeal liver assist devices as well as auxiliary liver transplantation may represent additional therapeutic options.

The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada. 4. Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Page ◽  
Ronald E. Wall ◽  
Stephen J. Darbyshire ◽  
Gerald A. Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Herbarium Specimens ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Invasive Alien Plant ◽  
Heracleum Mantegazzianum

Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is an invasive alien plant of management concern in southern Canada where it has escaped from horticulture and established and spread in natural, ruderal, and agricultural ecosystems. It poses a threat to natural ecosystems and human health, and is also a weed in agricultural and urban areas. It is a member of the Carrot family (Apiaceae) and is closely related to the native species Heracleum maximum Bartram (cow-parsnip). It is a monocarpic perennial, which generally flowers in its 3rd or 4th year. Large size, leaf shape, dark reddish pigments in patches on stems and petioles, and fruit characteristics readily distinguish H. mantegazzianum from other plants in Canada. It is increasingly common in riparian areas, floodplains, and forest edges in or near urban areas in southwestern British Columbia and southern Ontario. Based on herbarium specimens, H. mantegazzianum was first recorded in Ontario in 1949, British Columbia in 1964, Nova Scotia in 1980, Quebec in 1990, and New Brunswick in 2000. The development of dense stands of H. mantegazzianum can also reduce the richness of native plants. Contact with H. mantegazzianum can cause phytophotodermatitis, a serious skin inflammation caused by UV photo-activation of furanocoumarins present in the sap. Control methods include herbicide application, mechanical cutting, and animal grazing, but strategies to address seed dispersal and re-establishment from dormant seed must also be adopted. Widespread establishment in southern Canada suggests that eradication is unlikely. However, range expansion and rapid population growth can be prevented through strategic management including public education. Key words: Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Apiaceae, HERMZ, invasive plant, weed biology, furanocoumarins

scholarly journals Explaining the association between urbanicity and psychotic-like experiences in adolescence: The indirect effect of urban exposures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Saxena ◽  
David Dodell-Feder
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Income Disparity ◽  
Lead Paint ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
One Year

Urban living is a growing worldwide phenomenon with more than two-thirds of people expected to live in cities by 2050. Although there are many benefits to living in an urban environment, urbanicity has also been associated with deleterious health outcomes, including increased risk for psychotic outcomes particularly when the urban exposure occurs in adolescence. However, the mechanisms underlying this association is unclear. Here, we utilize one-year follow-up data from a large (N=7,979), nationwide study of adolescence in the United States to clarify why urbanicity might impact psychotic-like experiences (PLE) by looking at the indirect effect of eight candidate urbanicity-related physical (e.g., pollution) and social (e.g., poverty) exposures. Consistent with other work, we find that of the evaluated exposures related to urbanicity, several were also related to increased number of PLE and associated distress: PM2.5, proximity to roads, census-level homes at-risk for exposure to lead paint, census-level poverty, and census-level income-disparity. Mediation analysis revealed that a substantial proportion the urbanicity-PLE association could be explained by PM2.5 (23% of the urbanicity-PLE number association), families in poverty (57-67% of the urbanicity-PLE number and distress association), and income disparity (55-66% of the urbanicity-PLE number and distress association). Together, these findings suggest that specific urban-related exposures might help to explain why those in urban environments are disproportionately at-risk for psychosis and point towards areas for public health intervention.

scholarly journals Outcomes of retained and disengaged pregnant women living with HIV in Uganda

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251413
Author(s):  
Agnes N. Kiragga ◽  
Ellon Twinomuhwezi ◽  
Grace Banturaki ◽  
Marion Achieng ◽  
Juliet Nampala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Partum ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Hiv Viral Load ◽  
Viral Loads ◽  
Women Living With Hiv ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Exposed Infant ◽  
Public Clinics ◽  
Living With Hiv

Introduction Loss-to-follow-up among women living with HIV (WLWHIV) may lead to unfavorable outcomes for both mother and exposed infant. This study traced WLWHIV disengaged from care and their infants and compared their outcomes with those retained in care. Methods The study included WLWHIV who initiated ART during pregnancy at six public clinics in Uganda. A woman was defined as disengaged (DW) if she had not attended her 6-week post-partum visit by 10 weeks after her estimated date of delivery. DW were matched with retained women (RW) by age and duration on ART. Nurse counselors traced all selected DW via telephone and community visits to assess vital status, infant HIV sero-status and maternal HIV viral load through blood draws. Results Between July 2017 and July 2018, 734 women (359 DW and 375 RW) were identified for the study. Tracing was attempted on 349 DW and 160 (44.6%) were successfully located and enrolled in the study. They were matched with 162 RW. Among DW, 52 (32.5%) transferred to another health facility. Very few DW, 39.0% were HIV virally suppressed (<1000 copies/ml) compared to RW 89.5%, P<0.001). Among 138 babies born to DW, 4.3% tested positive for HIV compared to 1.4% among babies born to RW (P = 0.163). Conclusion Pregnant and breastfeeding WLWHIV who disengage from care are difficult to find in urban environments. Many have detectable viral loads, leading to the potential for an increased risk of MTCT. Efforts to reduce disengagement from care are critical for the successful elimination of MTCT in resource-limited settings.

scholarly journals Prognosis and treatment options in cases of acute liver failure caused by mushroom poisoning due to Amanita phalloides

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 875
Author(s):  
Anant Parasher ◽  
Akshay Aggrawal
Keyword(s):  
Liver Transplantation ◽  
Liver Failure ◽  
Acute Liver Failure ◽  
Orthotopic Liver Transplantation ◽  
Renal Involvement ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Amanita Phalloides ◽  
Penicillin G ◽  
Mushroom Poisoning ◽  
Mushroom Ingestion

Poisoning due to mushroom ingestion is a relatively rare but deadly cause of acute liver failure (ALF). Consumption of the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides, also known as ‘death cap’, is one of the most common causes of mushroom poisoning worldwide, being involved in the majority of human fatalities caused due to mushroom ingestion. A major portion of the liver damage due to Amanita phalloides is related to powerful toxins known as amanitins, which cause impairment in protein synthesis and subsequent cell necrosis by the inhibition of RNA polymerase II. Initially the presentation is that of an asymptomatic lag phase, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms and hepato-renal involvement. Amatoxin poisoning may progress into fulminant hepatic failure and eventually death if liver transplantation is not performed. It is based on a careful assessment of history of type and duration of mushroom ingestion, as well as the clinical manifestations. Diagnosis can be confirmed by laboratory tests measuring urinary amatoxin levels and identification of the mushroom. Although N-Acetyl Cysteine and Penicillin-G have proven to be effective therapeutic agents, Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (OLT) or Auxiliary Partial Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (APOLT) is the only treatment option for most of the cases carrying a poor prognosis.

History of the Larch Sawfly, with Notes on Origin and Biology,

1955 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Coppel ◽  
K. Leius
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Forest Insect ◽  
Larch Sawfly ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biological Characters ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Forest Biology

The larch sawfly, Pristiphora erichronii (Htg.), is currently considered a major forest insect pest in Canada. At the present time within Canada, the sawfly reacts to parasitism by Mesoleius tenthredinis Morley in two ways. In Manitoba and Saslratchewan the sawfly encapsulates approximately 100 per cent of the parasite eggs deposited, whereas in British Columbia encapsulation rarely exceeds four per cent (Muldrew, 1953). The reasons for the difference in degree of encapsulation are apparently unknown; however, since the origin of the sawfly itself is obscure, the possibility exists that a native species, an introduced species, Or a combination of both may he present, or that geographical or ecological units may have arisen. Studies now under way by officers of the Forest Biology and Entomology divisions are attacking the problem of identity and origin following the pattern established for the European spruce sawfly, Diprion hercyniae (Htg.). In this instance, as with the larch sawfly, parasites were introduced on the assumption that the pest had been introduced from Europe. Critical investigations by Reeks (1941) and Balch, Reeks, and Smith (1941), involving morphological, cytological, and other biological characters, showed that the species occurring in North America was one of two species common in Europe, and previously referred to there as Gilpinia polytoma (Htg.). Balch et al. (1941) showed that D. hercyniae had been introduced into North America.

Competition among juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): relevance to invasion potential in British Columbia

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P Volpe ◽  
Bradley R Anholt ◽  
Barry W Glickman
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
The Status ◽  
Coastal British Columbia

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are routinely captured in both freshwater and marine environments of coastal British Columbia (Canada). Recent evidence suggests that this species is now naturally reproducing in Vancouver Island rivers. Our objective was to quantify the performance of each species in intra- and inter-specific competition by assessing the competitive ability of Atlantic salmon sympatric with native niche equivalent steelhead – rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Significant behavioural differences, particularly with respect to agonism, were observed between species; however, the status of an individual as resident or challenger was the best predictor of performance. Resident fish always outperformed challengers, regardless of species. Thus, we suggest that Atlantic salmon may be capable of colonizing and persisting in coastal British Columbia river systems that are underutilized by native species, such as the steelhead.

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